


Fight me now, kiss me later.

by cityofrowaelin



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Detention, Fighting, Sparring, hate to friend to love, rowaelin, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-06-10 11:39:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6955006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cityofrowaelin/pseuds/cityofrowaelin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aelin and Rowan have been feuding long and hard and when, for the third time that week, another fight breaks out between the two, they land themselves sealed up together until the morning, and with a month worth of detentions... together. Will practically being forced to attach at the hip bring them closer or continue the hate they both think they feel for each other?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

(Part1)

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius bared her teeth, a growl reverberating through her throat as Rowan Whitethorn inched closer, threateningly.

“If you take another swing at me, I’ll deck you.” Aelin hissed, noticing him shift forwards slightly.

Damn. He took a swing, him fist excelling towards her and before she had fully registered it, it was mere inches away from her face. She brought up her hand to cover his fist and swiped it to the left of her, using his built up momentum to put the most power into it. She was almost successful in catching him off balance. Almost.

Attempting to live up to the promise she’d made seconds before, she swung out her arm, aiming for his neck but he anticipated the blow and reached out to grasp her forearm. 

While he shouldered the impact she had shoved upon him, she hooked her foot behind one of his and yanked it from the solid floor of the hallways and into the air.

As he lifted into the air he tightened his already iron grip on her arm and used his free hand to grab her waist. 

Both falling to the ground, Rowan maneuvered Aelin so she lay beneath him and when they collided with the floor Aelin took the impact of the fall that had been intended for him.

Winded from the burst of air that had left her lungs, Aelin attempted to use what little strength she had in that moment of weakness to flip them around by circling Rowan’s waist with her legs but only to fail.  
One leg still around his hips, she used that one to balance herself while the other pulled back and shoved her knee upwards with as much force she could muster between the space of the floor and her targeted spot. Aelin’s knee connected to the place between his legs and Rowan then proceeded to spew a range of highly colourful curses. 

She could feel him slightly weaken his grip on her and that was all she needed to push him upwards and around for he was soon beneath her.

She straddled his waist and she pulled back her fist to punch him but the effort was futile as a strong palm encircled her first and she was being dragged off of her victim.

Her cousin, Aedion, caged her with his arms, knowing full well that if she wished she could break from him grip, maybe with a slight struggle but Aedion mostly, if not always, gave into her. “This has got to stop happening, Aelin.”

Aelin searched, her eyes roaming, for Rowan, wondering where he’d gone to from the unfortunate position that she’d had him in moments before. Albeit he was now standing, his only intent seeming to be glaring at her with his ice cold pin eyes.

The crowd that had gathered upon the break out of hell between Rowan and Aelin quickly dispersed when Principle Hamel pushed his way through the throngs of students, “What is the meaning of this?” No one answered.

Aelin knew that he had known exactly what was happening and would continue to do so but stood, as if he was still expecting an answer.

“Galathynius – Whitethorn.” Not even bothering to glance back at her cousin and most probably her awaiting friends Aelin lifted her head, set her shoulders and followed, aware of Rowan striding behind her.

(Part 2) 

They’d both received severe tongue lashing and even the warning of literal ones. It had been one of the longest lectures of her life and they had both been punished with the brutal task of detention together for the next month. Every day. Even on Saturdays. In addition to that, they would both also be in isolation, also together, for the next week, meaning when they got into school the only company either of them had were just one another. And maybe that of whatever teacher had to be monitoring them.

Apparently they had been classed as a danger to others- and themselves. 

Well if the teachers were that concerned for them, why weren’t they being separated?

Hamel escorted them to the detention classroom centre after being separated for a few minutes, most probably to call their parents and let them “Think about what they’d done.” One of the teachers had put it that way. 

“Both of your guardians are aware of the disruption you have caused today and wholly agree on the punishments we are giving you.” Just before the door was shut he sternly added, “Have a good night in here.” 

The door shut and the click of the lock sounded throughout the room’s tense silence. 

We were in here all night?

If only they had postponed their rage until they’d made it outside. Lessons had just been over and if Rowan had only had the sense to provoke her once were out of the building then it probably wouldn’t have happened. Aelin’s desire at the prospect of getting into a fight had also contributed to it so when he’d made that snarky, probably well deserved, comment at her, she’d instantly turned on him. She obviously did have more self-restraint than that but well, if that was how she could relieve herself of the built up energy, maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea. 

A defeated sigh blew past Aelin’s lips but she reached beneath the fabric of her top to where her phone lay, at the side, almost under the band, of her bra. It most definitely not the safest place to store her phone when getting into a fight but she hadn’t thought it through before she’d growled a response to Rowan’s abuse.

Rowan’s consistent glare still pierced her as if she were still about to pounce on him. 

Scrolling through her contact on her phone, and eyeing Rowan before dismissing him, she dialled Lysandra’s number. 

“Aelin Ashryver Ga-” Her usually calm and concealed voice burst in greeting.

“Lys, I’m hungry and trapped in a room with a-”

Rowan’s warning sounded through the air. “If you wish to keep that cute nose from being broken I suggest you don’t finish that sentence.”

A grin split across Aelin’s face. “You think my nose is cute?” 

The only response from him was a growl and Lysandra’s voice sounded, Aelin almost forgetting she had been on the other end of the device held at her ear. “You want me to bring you some chocolate?”

“The one’s with the mint in the middle, if you’d be such a darling.” She responded almost immediately. 

“Why, does your breath smell or something?” She was only joking but sounded deadly serious. Lys didn’t take someone’s breath smelling awful lightly. 

“Actually that reminds me: bring gum and preferably toothpaste.”

“You sound like you’re having a sleepover.” The tone of Lys’ voice held a hint of amusement to it as if she already knew that Aelin was being forced to stay at the high school throughout the night.

“I may as well be.” Lysandra started to reply but Aelin cut through her words. “Listen, just get here as quick as you can please. I love you for this.” 

“You’ve got some explaining to do.” And the familiar sound of the caller ending sounded.

Suddenly, an almost awkward silence settled around Rowan and Aelin and the silence began. 

When their eye shifted to one another, anger lay beneath both of them, the air between them almost sizzling. “So… did you want to keep fighting or-” He gave her an incredulous look before taking a seat at one of the desks.

Aelin wanted to feel the adrenaline rushing through her blood again, like it had been when they’d fought each other, but every second the craving slowed.  
If she was going to be stuck here, presumably, all night, she may as well do something with her time. 

Aelin walked over to the bookshelf at the back of the room, wanting nothing more than to throw one of the large hard-back books at the back of his waiting head.

Actually she wanted so badly that before she had registered his own arm move in response to her brain, the book went flying towards the back of his white-to-silver hair. He turned, noticing somehow the book heading towards him. He caught it, grunting as he dropped it to the floor.

Rowan was a flash in the room and then had her pinned up against the wall.

Smiling in triumph, Aelin leant against the wall as casually as she could, as if she wasn’t being held against it against her will. 

“We are trapped her for no one knows how long-” Probably until the morning. “-And if you think that I’m going to get into another brawl with you-” Please? “-you are sorely mistaken.” Rowan eased his grip on her when she rolled her eyes, dismissively.

“What are we supposed to do? Bond over our feeling and broken souls? Why don’t you tell me what possessed you to become the soulless asshole you are now?” 

He loosened his grips entirely from her and stepped back in disgust. “You are worthless.”

Pain replaced her expression but quickly dissolved into the cool unbothered mask she usually wore. “I guess I must be looking at mirror then.” She licked her lips, contemplating. “Well thinking on it, that can’t be possible. I’m far more attractive than you.”

That was a lie. She thought that, despite herself, he was rather good-looking. His tanned complexion and the hard muscular planes of his body rather appealed to her, along with the unusually silver hair. His face was a mask of ice, but she imagined that if it thawed, he’d be even more handsome than he was now. There was also a tattoo poking out form the hem of his shirt. Well, either way, he was a piece of work, but that didn’t mean Aelin couldn’t appreciate it.

“Shallow, vain, narcissistic.”

“Oh come on, the practically all mean the same thing. Although, I am surprised that you have such a vary to your vocabulary. You look rather dim-witted.”

Another lie. He looked like a hawk assessing his prey, his gaze too sharp to be anything but predatory, his stance too guarded to be anything but aware and the spark in his eyes too lit to be anything but knowledge. Maybe that was just the light then.

“Did I forget ‘worthless’?” 

“I believed you already shamed me with that one.”

Aelin pushed her weight off the wall, half hoping he’d pin her back down, and if she were lucky, throw a punch. 

(Part 3)

Lysandra swerved in and out of the traffic, rushing through the oncoming cars.

She’d packed thing she was almost certain Aelin would have need off: cake, chocolate, gum (as she’d requested). She’d even gone as far as packing a bag of cosmetics and two changes of clothes.

Honestly, she was too good of a friend sometimes, she thought.

And for what? So Aelin could get into another fight with Rowan Whitethorn? This was the third this week and Lysandra assumed they were finally getting their punishments. Not that it’d do much good in erasing the anger between the two. But they did deserve it. 

Lysandra thought that maybe the two of them were more alike than they’d like to admit.

After weaving throughout the crowds of cars, she finally arrived at the school that she and Aelin attended. 

She knew that if tried to go through the school to the detention centre, it would draw suspicion on her and Aelin’s behalf, and she also knew that it was common knowledge she was close to Aelin. Even among teachers and students alike.

Lysandra decided to go around the building, as she knew what room they’d been assigned to all too well. She turned the corner of the building and collided with another body.  
It was Archer Finn – known for his past relationship with Aelin. She’d ended it with him almost one year ago now and he hadn’t taken it lightly. Not when a lot of money had been on the line. Apparently he’d made a deal with Farran, a well-known and cruel boxer, that if he and Aelin dated for more than 6 months, he would get a sum of money that was most probably unspeakable for such a stupid thing. What Farran had bet Archer upon his failure was unknown but he avoided the boxer as much as he could.

“What are you doing?” Lysandra immediately threw herself backwards in an attempt to dismiss him. Her brain rewinded to when she thought she was in love with Archer. She hadn’t known what love was before so she hadn’t clocked that maybe it wasn’t meant to feel as dull as it did to her. They’d shared a heated kiss once, when she had realised that maybe she wasn’t as in to him as she had thought. Or any other guy for that matter. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Go.” She raised a carefully arched eyebrow, daring him to object. 

He ran.

Lysandra thought about going after him, but what use would that be to either of them. It wasn’t as if she was going to torture him for answers.  
As Lysandra continued, a window revealed Aelin and Rowan shooting daggers at each other, without breaking their stare, distaste mirroring each of their features.  
Lysandra knocked the window gently, to alert them of her presence. 

Aelin didn’t even beak her stare with Rowan and she advanced towards where Lysandra stood on the other side of the glass. Only when she reached the window did she acknowledge Lysandra, opening the small pane of glass at the top which was one of many that aligned the top of each big window that had not latch or opening on them. If they did open, she Aelin would already be out of that room.

“You, Lysandra may have just saved me from the boredom I was just experiencing,” She didn’t even think Rowan knew her name. “From that insufferable staring contest – with her.” He said, motioning to Aelin who  
stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

Aelin pointedly rolled her eyes and uttered a genuine thanks to Lysandra for bringing what she’d asked. 

“So,” Lysandra started, “What did you do exactly to provoke my dear friend?” 

Rowan opened his mouth but Aelin’s voice crossed over his without hesitation. “Whitethorn, you aid that you did not wish to fight me in this room, so if you say those words aloud them you will get no self-restraint from me.” 

Lysandra tsked. “Sounds like someone is afraid of getting his ass kicked by a girl and not have enough room to flee from his shame afterwards.”

Rowan titled his head viciously, sizing up Lysandra. “Do not doubt me. It is for your own safety that we aren’t fighting at this very moment.”

Eyes blazing and fists balled: Aelin was getting ready for another fight. Lysandra didn’t doubt that Aelin had already tried to get Rowan rolling around on the floor with her again. In an attempt to distract Aelin of  
what she inevitably would get coming for her, Lys piped up, “Aelin, do you want your stuff. I really have to go check on Nehemia.” 

Nehemia was Lysandra’s girlfriend and was currently caring for Aelin’s dog, Fleetfoot, but Lysandra was afraid that if she left Nehemia too long with the dog, she may let it tear everything to shreds. She was usually too soft-hearted on animals. 

Aelin’s attention immediately shifted to the contents of the bag that was sidled on Lysandra’s shoulder.

“Uh- Is there-?”

“Yes. The chocolate is all there, and then some.”

“Wait, so the bag isn’t full of just food?” Aelin looked slightly deflated in the thought that there was other contents other than anything that would sweeten her taste buds.

“No, your majesty.” She mocked. “But you should be grateful that I went and got this for you when you deserve whatever punishment is being bestowed upon you.”

Aelin’s expression turned sheepish and she beamed . “Thank you, Lys. I’d hug you right now but…”

“Why don’t you hug Rowan for me then?” Lys’ face cracked into a smile at the discomfort that settled in the room on the other side of the window and the way that the two shifted away from one another. “Anyway, you’re welcome.” She added and pushed the bag through the slit of glass that warmed her hands from the heat of the inside of the room compared to the subtle chill outside. Aelin caught it and Lysandra flipped her hair over her shoulder before turning away and saying “Enjoy your night then.” She winked back at them and stalked off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I would've updated sooner but my laptop deleted some of what I wrote and then Word stopped working some other stuff on it effed up. So sorry. This chapter is slightly rushed.

(part 1)

Aedion was clad in black, Dorian following closely behind, a playful grin plastered to his face as they strolled towards the high school. 

They didn’t even bother to mask the sounds of their heavy treads, knowing that no one would be around to hear them, unless they were planning on committing a felony like Aedion and Dorian may or may not have been attempting to do. 

They reached the school on foot, worried that maybe something could go wrong if they had forced Lysandra to drive them there. If Lysandra had found out, they would’ve been stopped or Aelin most probably would have been warned. Or worse… Lysandra might have joined them. And if she had things would’ve definitely gotten out of control. 

Aedion and Dorian walked to the back of the school, searching for where Aelin would’ve been. She hadn’t told them and hadn’t needed to, Aedion had asked Lysandra and she had told him without hesitation, most probably noting the glint he had gotten in his eyes, like she noticed most things, not unlike his cousin. 

They peered into the window, staying close to the part of the wall where the window and brick met so they could jump back if either of the people in the classroom noticed either one of them. 

Aelin was on the floor is the corner of the room, the only way for them to have found her with some efficiency in the darkness being the beacon of bright hair cascading off her shoulders, similar to the hue of 

Aedion’s, if not identical. Her features were peaceful and unguarded, her eyes closed, lashes shadowing her cheekbones as the faint glimmer of moonlight that shone down upon her in that moment caused her eyes to flicker beneath the sockets. 

Both Dorian and Aedion jumped back simultaneously, embarrassed that they had been panicked by the slightest movement. 

Peering back into the room, Aedion brought his attention to Rowan. He was sat at a desk, in one of the chair, shoulders crossed over his chest, upright as if he was still calculating just what Aelin may do to him even in sleep. The only indication that he was even asleep was that his eyes were closed but if they didn’t know that, they would have thought he was awake and sprinted away. 

It really was a shame that Rowan and Aelin had to have some kind of built in rivalry with one another. If they were civil, he could have even been a nice extension to the group of them. And he would most definitely secure the groups protection from the enemies that Aelin and her rash temper were always making. 

Dorian and Aedion moved back around to the side, the wall now blocking the contents of the room. "Okay, you go unlock the door and I'll..." 

"Yeah, I know, now just hurry before any of us get caught." 

"Wait for the signal then you can enter the building." 

"Aedion, we've been over this too many times now. If you keep explaining this over and over I'll just go back and read." 

Aedion shoved Dorian as lightly as he could without pushing the other boy over. "Go." 

Then the dark-haired boy ran and the light-haired boy scaled the building, only metres away from where his cousin and her companion slumbered. 

(part 2)

A faint ringing noise was sounding in Aelin's head, becoming louder and louder with every passing moment as consciousness swarm just infront of her. Then rough hands were shaking her shoulders hard and she grunted before seeing Rowan before her, already alert and ready. As if he had awoken the moment the sharp piercing noise had started. 

"Oh, shit." Aelin cursed as she identified the fire alarm. "Fire?" She crossed her eyes to Rowan, his hair gleaming through the darkness devouring the edges of his form. 

"I don't know, but we should check." 

"Rowan. We are locked in classroom, we can't check. Oh, well I guess I'll just go back to sleep or burn to death. To me, either one I don't care if I'm being honest although I wouldn't prefer the latter as much as the first option" Aelin grabbed the rucksack and shoved it over her head while proceeding to lie down. 

Rowan grabbed her and growled before lifting her up. "You're coming." 

Rowan ran at the door with what looked like most of his strength but after a few times without it budging and Aelin stepped up. "Let me try." 

He gave her a look that said, You can try, but don't cry to me when you break a nail. She flipped one obscene gesture to him with her perfectly manicured nail before stepping up to the door dramatically and cracked her knuckles. 

She then wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled downwards. It opened. 

"Ah, there we go." 

Rowans nostrils flared and he gave her a gesture of his own. 

She held the door to him. "After you, asshole." 

If it had been anyone else she might have admired the view when he walked past but he shouldered her and she decided that he didn't deserve the attention. With a huff she followed, cringing as the sound of the bell became louder and clearer in the corridor. 

"Damn, how are you coping?" Aelin addressed Rowan, him striding down the corridor as if the achingly loud sound didn't irritate him in the slightest. Aelin brought her hands up to cup her ears, trying to muffle the sounds of the repeating and annoying chime. 

They checked the building twice upstairs and down, looking for signs of smoke or anything signalling that there was a fire. 

Steps behind them had Aelin and Rowan swivelling round and an outrageous shriek met them. The head stood there and Aelin closed her eyes savouring the silence before it turned into a scolding. 

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE YOU HAVE CAUSED? WHAT KIND OF ALARMS YOU HAVE SET OFF?" Aelin supressed the smile that threatened to spread across her face but kept her expression neutral. She was honestly as immature as a little boy being told off. 

Hamel's face turned into a mask of deadly predator. "Do you think this is funny, princess?" He moved closer. And closer. Until he was directly in front of her. "Will you still think it's funny when you realise you've been too much of a troublemaker in your life that you have absolutely no future?" 

Aelin would not back down or become intimidated by the male before her. Instead she shuffled slightly closer before her face split into that grin. "I guess I'll just have to become a school teacher like you did." She stepped back slightly to see the full expanse of his face but there was only collected blankness, not unlike the mask that Aelin sometimes wore. "Or a nun. They have to accept anyone, right?" 

(part 3)

After trying, but failing, to convince Hamel that they hadn't set of the fire alarm and the door to their classroom had been unlocked, which meant t a stern look from Rowan and a heart-hearted, not really caring explanation from Aelin, it was now decided, that on top of the punishment they were serving from the fight, they had to go to counselling. 

It had been explained to the pair of now named 'trouble-makers' that their mental state wasn't intact and the reckless decisions they made were from a cause of blah-blah-blah. Basically the teachers thought they were psychos and needed to be sorted out. 

All they had done was get into a fight and were then accused of something they didn't do and they were psychopathic. Conveniently, the evidence had been wiped. From the period of time that the alarm sounding had started to when they had made their way around the building, the security footage had been wiped so that it looked as if they had cleared it but made a mistake 'on their way out'. 

When Aelin found out who had set off the alarm, wiped the footage from the cameras around the school and landed them into an extra shit load of trouble, she would skin them alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have some Rowaelin in it. A little unexpected and it won't be rushed so don't worry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but I updated yesterday anyway.

(part 1)

Aelin didn't sleep for the remainder of the night and she wasn't enclosed in a small space with Rowan anymore, much to her pleasure. It felt lonely but free without his lurking presence and without the tension that surrounded and encased them when together. It felt as if a weight had been slid of her shoulders and into the cool marble beneath her. 

The inconvenience that was Rowan Whitethorn then prowled into the room, accompanied by an aging man who had a lively look in his dark eyes, contrasting with his white hair and the facial hair that matched the colourless strands. 

He ushered Rowan further into the room where he'd stopped at the door intently pulling Aelin apart with his eyes. Emrys noticed the glare. "This is what we are working on to improve, Rowan." He scolded.  
Rowan let out a snort but moved so Emrys could pass him. 

"Can you actually improve the behaviour of so-called psychopaths?" Aelin mocked. 

The older man furrowed his eyebrows. "You're not psychopaths. I'm not qualified to deal with that type of mental disturbance." 

Aelin scoffed, and leaned back in the chair she had seated herself at in the more than comfortable, unclaimed office. "That gives me heaps of confidence. How are you supposed to deal with two mentally disturbed teens if you aren't even qualified?" 

Rowan let out a hiss that might have even been a warning for her to keep her god-damned mouth shut but Emrys let out a hiss even sharper. "I do not think either one of you are whatever they've told you. School pranks don't mean you're psychotic." 

Neither one of them bothered to correct him and offer their innocence but Aelin had shut up. 

"I'm here just to ensure that you two work out whatever differences you are facing." 

Oh, God. Aelin thought, He makes it sound like we're going to couples counselling. 

She felt a blush rising to her cheeks but supressed it and swallowed. She didn't even know why she'd become embarrassed at such a premature thought. 

Also, at seeing the distaste in Rowan's face Emrys added, "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you sit and talk to each other about your feelings." 

Aelin was tempted to let the silence remain and wait for Emrys' reply but she didn't care what this old man thought of her. "So what are you going to 'make' us do?" 

"First you can start off scraping off all the gum from the tables together." Again that awful word: 'together'. Emrys looked down at the clipboard in his hands and his smile widened. "Rowan you can start by scraping and Aelin you can hold to bucket. Swap, I don't mind." 

How was this meant to help them. It wasn't as if Aelin particularly wanted to play nice with Rowan in the first place but how exactly would this do wither of the any good except from acting like another punishment that they were adding to their unending list of tasks and forceful sittings. 

Despite the protestation of her conscience, Aelin stood up and walked through the door. Besides, her and her peers had made this mess, why not clean it up? 

(part 2)

They'd been scraping gum of the bottom of tables for nearly two hours and even as classes resumed as normal for the other students there seemed to a bottomless supply of gum riddled tables. In those two hours, they'd mainly stayed silent and swapped scraping and holding the bucket several times, although Aelin felt the urge to knock Rowan's teeth with her fist hard to resist. 

"Oh, for goodness sake, I cannot be bothered with cleaning the school's mess up anymore. I think I'll rest." 

"No you won't, Aelin." Rowan's anger shocked Aelin enough that she placed the bucket filled with chewed gum on the floor. 

"You don't dictate my actions." 

"I don't care, but the sooner we get this one-" 

"Yeah, the sooner we get this done, they'll place another useless task in front of us again and say we deserve it." She interrupted. 

"You're a useless task." 

"Not this again." 

Rowan set down the tool he'd been given and hurled himself at Aelin without any more consideration. He gave her time to leap back a few steps, believing she could dodge the blow she foresaw but it didn't come and Aelin realised too late that it had been a feign so he could easily pin her against the wall. 

He then closed the distance between Aelin's back and the solid surface behind it until they connected, hard enough that Aelin had to stop herself from closing her eyes tightly. 

"You are not a Princess, so stop acting like one." 

"Unfortunately, I know, but that doesn't mean you're a prince." 

Rowan then tensed and whispered something against her ear that she didn’t notice because his lips were then upon hers. At first, Aelin did not yield to him and stood taut before she processed what he had said to her. "We have company." 

Oh, so that would mean another month of detentions if they were found fighting or close to it again. 

A second later she heard the heavy footsteps of an adult and Rowan must have heard it long before she had so he had acted, because if they were found getting into another brawl, they would likely get punished even further. 

So she did what she needed to. That's what she told herself. She told herself that it wasn’t because of the strange attraction she felt to Rowan whenever she saw that glint in his eyes or how dangerously close he dared get. No it was because she didn't want another scolding, not that realistically she cared. She felt so stupid at the thought that snook into her head: her and Rowan could just shed their heat other ways apart from fighting, may as well use their attraction for something. 

And the kiss he graced upon her lips might have convinced her if she didn’t know that Rosen severely hated her. 

His lips were soft against hers, although his body was hard and close and stiflingly hot. They moved across her's as if they were in another fight, claiming dominance. And Aelin willed herself to see it as just that: something she was doing to prove herself. She could be a superior in whatever she wished. 

It was just so damn hard though when he was so good at it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that turned out alright but it kind of worked out the way I wanted it to. Next update asap - hopefully no longer than 2 weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finished EOS like 3 weeks ago and I'm a bad person cos I said I would update and I didn't... This is very very quick update I will be updating again soon. Sry for the wait!

Aelin was drowning and crashing and burning everywhere.

Her lips were against Rowan's, his rough and refusing to give her any control. She was still pressed up against the wall, her fingers now locked through his silvery hair as if on instinct. 

She had almost forgotten that they had even fought and why they had but the constant nagging through her was that this wasn't real. That he was only doing it because they had both been in a position that likely would've meant a fight to break out and they didn't need to spend more time with each other than they were being forced to at the moment.

Footsteps sounded closer at the doorway and the loud clearing of someone's throat was being sounded. Rowan released his hold on Aelin almost immediately and stepped away from her as he were being physically burned by her. 

Instantly, Aelin turned her attention to the person stationed in the doorway, not letting her brain think about the swelling of her lips and the imprints Rowan had left upon her skin, not likely to be forgotten any time soon. 

Mr Hamel was stood there, his lips a thin, stern line and his eyes set upon them as if he could unleash death upon them both. "What do you call this?"

Aelin allowed her eyes the glaze over, to coy him into thinking she was just a dumb, oblivious teenage girl. "I would say we were trading salvia but-" 

"I don't care about your love hate relationship." His argued against that. "If I catch you doing anything but what you are supposed to be doing it's another month of detentions and if I hear that smart-ass mouth again, Aelin, it's another month after that."

Aelin pouted slightly and lazily turned back to Rowan, slumping against the wall in defeat. Hamel left the room and growled something to someone outside before promptly marching away.

Aelin bounced up off the wall and met Rowan's stare. His hair was tousled from her combing her fingers through it and his lips were slightly more plump than usual. His pupil were dark but he just sidled closer to her and whispered, "That meant nothing." 

He left it like a threat in the air.  
"I didn't expect it to." 

"Good." 

He boosted himself away from her and just went back to scraping the gum from the tables, joined seconds later by Aelin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, let’s just say I am unreliable at updating... decided to start writing again which I haven’t done since 2016! Oops :)

When that day ended, Aelin was more than relieved to separate herself from Rowan Whitethorn. She’d noticed, when she’d exited the school, that her own cousin had gone up to Rowan and they were talking like best buddies. She was outraged. Since when did they become friends, especially after her and Rowan’s endless fighting, after the things he’d said he’d do his Aedion’s poor baby cousin. Of course, she had said some equally harsh things to him, but that didn’t mean he had to speak to Rowan before he spoke to her, or even had to speak to him at all! 

Burning a hole in the back of Rowan’s head, she was almost too distracted to noticed a slender hand on her shoulder. Her oldest friend, Nehemia, could see the tautness of Aelin’s shoulders relax as she noted her presence. They smiled at one another before Nehemia’s head slowly shook. “Aelin, you already have enough enemies, no need to make one out of the Whitethorne boy as well.” Nehemia sounded somewhat wise compared to her peers most of the time, even though she wasn’t only in the year above Aelin and Lys.

Before she could reply, Aelin heard a familiar barking and grinned, delight gleaming on her face, and ran to wear Lysandra was making her way out of the car, Fleetfoot tugging on the lead. 

Aelin was crouching on the floor, smoothing the softness of Fleetfoot’s fur. She took the lead from Lys and thanked both of them for staying with Fleetfoot overnight. Rising, she watched Rowan walk back into the building and Aedion made his way over to them. “So... what were you and your new bestie talking about?” 

He rolled his eyes at his cousin and patted Fleetfoot’s head. “He wants me to temporarily replace him on the team.” 

Aelin couldn’t help but laugh, “As in the cadre?” 

Aedion shared an amused grin. “No, as in ice hockey.” 

“Wow. You haven’t played in over a year.”

“Well, my injuries healed now so it’s time for me to go back on the ice.” 

She nodded and the others started heading for the carpark. She stayed where she was. “What are you doing?” Lys shouted, although she knew Aelin would usually get a ride with Aedion anyway. 

“I’m gonna walk with Fleetfoot, we both need a leg stretch.” And to walk off these damn bruises. 

Walking off school grounds, she watched all three of them bypass her in cars. It was slightly peaceful for a time as most people had gone home the hour before and Aelin had been in detention. That was until an unexpected pelting of rain started. There was about another 40 minute walk to the building she lived in with her parents and Aedion. Great, and she wasn’t even wearing a coat and she couldn’t call anyone to pick her up since her phone had died during the night and she couldn’t be bothered to charge it. 

Taking cover under a tree, Aelin huffed at her now soaked clothing and hair, whilst Fleetfoot looked like he wanted to play in the wet. 

A car then raced past, the undeniable flash of silver hair in the driver seat. Of course bloody Rowan Whitethorn would drive past and see her with her wet hair hanging limply around her face, clothing sodden. But as soon as she thought he was gone and unable to see her annoying situation, he’d pulled up beside the tree she was under, saying something unintelligible through the crash of heavy rain. 

For once though, Aelin did not want to fight. She did however step forward into the rain to hear what he was saying. “Do you want a ride?” She must have mistaken him. 

“What?” She started, dumbfounded for once. If she had thought he would say anything, it wasn't that. 

“It’s pouring with rain, you’re gonna catch something. Do you want me to drive you home?” 

“I-“ she thought about rolling her eyes and trotting on, she did not want to owe Rowan anything. But Fleetfoot was soaked to the core as well as she was and she could see the tremors he was staying to posses from the rain. “Fine, yes please.” 

Rowan jumped from the driver door and picked the wet dog up and placed him in the boot of the car, where it seemed was a mass of blankets the dog cosied into. Aelin tried to get through the passangers side of the door as fast as possible, still managing to spray the rain into the car. 

Even in Rowan’s warm heated car, she felt the shivers of cold pass through her. Rowan handed something to her, a jumper, and she didn’t even care that it was Rowan’s as she slid it over her head. The scent of pine and snow encased her and she tried not to smell it too hard. “Um-“ she was unsure whether to thank him but if it had been her she may well have just breezed past in a car. “Thanks, Rowan. You really didn’t have to do that after-“ 

He smiled slightly but his face hardened almost immediately. “Who am I gonna have to argue with if you freeze to death?” 

She smiled too, wishing she had a bucket of that scraped gum to flick at him. But in that moment she didn’t actually want to hurt him, not that she really ever did, she mainly just wanted to hurt herself. Which was stupid. But the pain was one of the only ways she knew how to distract herself with since Sam had died. It had been close to four years ago now, and she knew she had loved him even if it hadn’t managing to surpass a few awkward teenage kisses but they had been best friend's since birth and something like that didn't just fade away no matter how far away he seemed. It’s why she was so good at fighting, she had nothing else to do when she was being threatened to be swallowed. 

Her smile slid down her face as she watched Rowan start the car. “Where am I taking you then?” 

She told him to building she lived in and he already seemed to have known where it was. 

The next 10 minutes of silence didn’t shock her, it’s how they’d been working all afternoon even after that kiss. Absentmindedly, she had brought her fingers to her lips but it only reminded her that even if she wanted to pummel him, she was no doubt attracted to him. And he wasn’t all that bad, she was usually the one to antagonise him so she deserved more than half what she got. 

He finally pulled up outside her building, bringing Fleetfoot from the back out for her. Aelin actually managed a grin as she took the dog but when he locked his car and started walking to the building with her her eyebrows furrowed. “Rowan, you do realise you aren’t coming up to meet my parents." Not that her parents were at home then or for the next few weeks. "What am I going to say? Oh, this is Rowan, oh see this bruise here, and here and here, well he gave them to me." 

He shook his head, his hair now wet from getting out of the car. “And then I could show them all my bruises too, it will be a lot of fun.”

She raised an eyebrow at this, who knew, Whitethorn had a sense of humour. She was still preplexed at him as he even greeted the doorman and walked inside with her. She gave him a questionable look but he also got in the elavator with her. 

“Okay, Rowan I’m being serious, we aren’t even friends you can’t just come to my apartment building and make yourself at home.” 

“I may not be your friend, but I am Aedion's.” 

“Aedion isn’t home.”

“Yes he is, he texted me.” 

She flared her nostrils. “I don’t care, I’ve spent enough time with you now and I’ll be damned if you come into my home as well.” 

The elavator pinged but it wasn’t her floor. “This is my floor, Aelin. See you round.” 

Aelin froze. He was joking, right? Nope, Rowan Whitethorn lived two floors below her. The elavator closed and she looked at Fleetfoot, did the longest sigh she could muster and when she got into her apartment, she sunk into the sofa, not caring about the wet locks of hair and the fact she still had Rowan’s jumper on as she dozed off.


	6. Chapter 6

For the next few days, the quips between Aelin and Rowan had died slightly but each one of them was slightly more aggravating than the last, and it was starting to piss Rowan off to the max. Even if she wasn’t trying to pummel him constantly now, and she hadn’t been too irritating when he’d drove her home… funny even. That wasn’t the point, even if they could have gotten on before he had realised she was just a hot-headed, spoilt girl. 

Her friends, however, weren’t too bad. Her cousin, Aedion, could probably fit into his group of friends and now he was replacing Rowan in the team until he was free to go to practices and the games, so he probably would start fitting in more into Rowan’s life. Even if the boy did have a blind love for his cousin, who could fault him for it since they were related? Aelin’s other friends didn’t seem too bad but the more he thought about it, the more he suspected Aelin wasn’t as self-righteous as she wanted him to believe. He knew that if she was really was a bitch, she wouldn’t have the decent friends that surrounded her. 

Now was, thankfully, Friday which was the last day Rowan would have to put up with Aelin in isolation, however he still had 3 more weeks of detention to get through. Today, Emrys had said he has something different for them to do for the day because they’d finished all the ‘chores’ they were being forced to do and used the extra time to finish up school work. Apparently school work wasn’t punishment enough for their last day in there but hopefully whatever they had to do was better than another session of scraping gum or kissing against the wall...

Rowan scolded himself for that thought. No matter how much of a brat she was though, he couldn’t shake what had happened. 

He shook the invasion of thoughts from his head and strolled into school, making his way to Emrys office as per usual. When he arrived at the door, Aelin was leaning against it, her head thrown back, eyes shut but when his footsteps became more noticeable she brought her attention to him, gaze bored. Rowan made a questioning gesture to her that said something along the lines of Why are you standing out here practically asleep? 

She offered her own expression back and cocked her head at the door. There was clearly no one in the room so it must be locked. Rowan crossed his arms at the observation and settled into his standing position. 

A few minutes of silence passed and Rowan realised him and Aelin had not spoken like they did usually, even if the day started off with an argument as it did frequently. Emrys then rounded the corner and nodded his head at both of them. Aelin lifted herself from the door to let   
Emrys unlock it but Emrys didn’t step forward towards the door.

“The two of you, come with me.” Rowan silently thanked whoever was looking down on him today, thankful that he wouldn’t have to sit in that office with Aelin and put up with her meaningless squabbles.

The further Emrys took them through the school, the more confused both Aelin and Rowan became. They surpassed nearly every classroom until it seemed they were going to the gym. They followed Emrys through until he turned to them and told them to change into their gym clothes, which were obviously in their lockers. That meant another journey through the hallways and back to the gym. 

In the empty gym hall, Emrys waited for them and when they both emerged Emrys said the most unexpected thing they would have predicted. “Today you two will be fighting.” 

Rowan and Aelin exchanged looks of confusion before directing the look at the aging man. Emrys clarified: “Not your brutal, hate fused fighting. You two both seem to display some skill in fighting, so I think it would be beneficial if you fought with less… fervour. Not that you shouldn’t take this seriously, but the two of you don’t need to have the same bloodlust.”

He nodded at them both as they stood for a few seconds, slightly dazed. Rowan seemed to snap out of his stupor first, only marginally before Aelin did. Emrys just left the room, returning with a book and parking himself in a corner of the room on a bench. 

Mats were set out on the floor, covering almost half the room, soft beneath Rowans feet as he removed his shoes. Emrys had been right, Rowan did fight and had learnt to hone his natural skill from a young age. As for Aelin, he assumed the same since she had always seemed good when they fought, although her anger could have had an effect on her abilities.

Facing Aelin on the mat felt strange to say the least. They had been ordered, in a way, to fight. He felt no rush of emotion that might make him want to pummel her in any way and the look on her face reflected his, although she seemed to be considering leaping forward. He could see it in her stance. She was about to dive right at him. He subtly prepared himself for it but she did not attack him as he expected her to.   
Instead of an outright attack she switched her position, so she could brush his feet from beneath him. She was almost fast enough, her leg skimmed his feet where he leapt into the air, dodging her. Instead of letting her resume her place in front of him again, Rowan rushed towards Aelin and aimed a punch towards her face. She attempted to swipe his fist out of the way but he was too fast and strong, although it did slightly falter him so she remained unscathed as she gracefully retreated. 

Both subjects continued to fight, more showing off their skills to one another than going to hurt one another. The adrenaline in each of their systems was nothing like the frenzied attacks on each other they had previously been so intent on inflicting the week before. 

An hour after, sweat was dripping from Rowan and Aelin, coating each of them as they panted, deciding on a break. During their sparring, Emrys had left the room unnoticeably. There were drinks by the benches and both of them gulped them down. 

Rowan looked over at Aelin. She had a shine to her from not just the sweat, but she looked as if she had a slight enjoyment to her. Her golden hair was tied back from her face, baby hairs matted to her face. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, much like Rowan. A sort of respect then blossomed inside him. As much of a brat she seemed, she had something she seemed to be dedicated to and which she seemed to also excel at. Not that she seemed as if she didn’t excel at anything else. 

The word brat echoed around his head. He seemed to think that about her a lot. He would have to find something more original or meaningful. After all, her ‘bratness’ was decreasing a little at a time, no matter how much Rowan would have denied it or wanted to ignore it.   
Just then, with Rowan staring at her, Aelin smiled at him. Not a grin or a smirk or one of her mocking smiles but a real beam. Rowan turned away from her. He ignored the smile that threatened his own mouth, instead opting to continue drinking and with that, more sparring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't be bothered with editing. Expect it when I finally reread my fic to remember what has happened and realise it doesn't make sense...

The next week, Aelin felt slightly disappointed that she had to go back to class. The lessons were mainly a bore, the only one she slightly enjoyed being English and PE. Chemistry occasionally got interesting but only during practicals. And while she would rather head home after school, the most exciting part of her days seemed to be when Rowan and Aelin’s detention was. Emrys had fully taken over supervising them during this time so he made them spar almost everyday. Aelin found herself enjoying it. 

Aelin’s parents however did not seem best pleased when the school had called to inform them of their child’s behaviour. The best they could do was shout at her down the phone though, much to Aelin’s bitterness. She wished they’d just taken some time off to be a home, but it seemed their work was more important than their child or Aelin’s cousin. After all, they were meant to be a family, and while Aelin loved both her parents, she wished they would act like it.

Rowan glanced at her face, reading that she was clearly distracted by her thoughts. The look was all Aelin needed to snap out of her reverie. She lunged forward with her staff. The sound of the wood connecting with Rowan’s staff was the only sound that her ears registered, continuing for a few minutes until Rowan finally struck her staff harder than she’d expected, loosening her grip on her own staff. 

The staff slipped from her hand and she narrowly missed being smacked down by Rowan, rolling to collect her staff just as Rowan managed to kick it away. Rowan nudged the blonde over with his foot, making her lose her balance even more. With her flat on her back, Rowan managed to hold her to the floor, staff against her throat. 

Aelin knew she was stuck, the top and bottom halves of her body had some form of weight on them that she wasn’t strong enough to jerk off. She tapped out. Rowan rolled his eyes at that. 

“What?” Aelin exclaimed at his disapproval. 

“You could have easily got out of that.” He clarified.

“You had me pinned.” Did he not understand that he was practically double her body weight? He was all muscle and with his height, that made him extremely heavy. 

“I’ve had you in a position like that before and you managed to get out of it in less than 10 seconds.” He growled.

Aelin flared her nostrils in annoyance. “You didn’t have a staff those other times.” Where Emrys had got the staffs she didn’t know, or where he got the permission to have Rowan and Aelin sparring she didn’t know, if there was any permission involved in the first place. 

Rowan’s eyebrows furrowed. “You haven’t trained with a staff before?” 

“Only against Aedion occasionally, but I mostly learnt to fight for self defence and my mother said I probably wouldn’t have a weapon on me if I was walking home from school- something like that.” 

For the remainder of the hour, Rowan helped Aelin with staff, not that she needed much help. She tended to pick things up rather easily. That didn’t stop Rowan from putting her on her arse most of the time. 

When Emrys dismissed them, neither bothered changing out of their sweaty clothes, it wasn’t as if they were going anywhere other than home now. 

Rowan, without looking back at Aelin, entered his car and drove away. Aelin was left to walk. No one had offered to drive her home today, everyone else was busy. She didn’t mind, it was just a shame she didn’t have Fleetfoot with her again, so she could have given him a extra walk. As she was walking though, she noticed three men stalking towards her, something gleaming in one of their hands.  
____________________

There was a feeling gnawing at Rowan as he left Aelin in the car park. It hadn’t looked like anybody was willing to drive her today. Rowan didn’t know why she didn’t just learnt o drive herself. But it was something strange and Rowan damned himself for it. He felt bloody guilty for leaving her when she literally lived in the same building as him. It would make sense if he drove her back home everyday but it’s not like he would actually want to do it. 

“For fuck’s sake.” He muttered under his breath as he turned back. Jesus, he really needed to stop going back for this girl. 

When he thought he spotted Aelin though, Rowan did a double take. It seemed there were three men surrounding her. Rowan was out of his car as fast as he could, but it seemed as if she had it under control. Aelin whirled on all of them, and within a matter of seconds they were down. Rowan paused, taking in the scene. It looked as if she was displaying more skill against them than she had ever against Rowan. Well, at least while they were sparring. When they had fought she had held her own against as well as anyone ever had. 

The men were disarmed and on the floor, but as Aelin stooped to grab something of the floor, he noticed she was suddenly brandishing a knife. It couldn’t have been more than three inches in length, but he knew she would still be able to do more damage with it than with her fist. 

Rowan moved into action, crossing the street at a sprint and snatching to blade from Aelin’s hands. There was a cold anger on her face, not the spitting fire she usually displayed against him, but more of a calculated iciness to her. Even if Rowan didn’t think she’d go as far to killing the men, he wouldn’t put it past her to cripple them in some way. 

“Aelin.” Rowan breathed, scattering the knife onto the floor.

Her eyes snapped to his and she left her shoulders slump. “They tried to attack me.” The anger had worn away in those seconds Rowan had been by her side.

“I know. Let’s go home.” 

All he got in reply was a nod.

_____________________

He kept glancing at her. He couldn’t help it. Rowan would have thought she might have been shaken up or upset over the whole ordeal, but she merely seemed annoyed. And her annoyance wasn’t even over the situation, it was due to Rowan constant looks of concern. 

It might had been strange for Rowan to convey such an emotion over her, but at the same time it irritated Aelin to the fullest. She didn’t want him to suddenly care for her after he’d hated her last week. Or maybe it was the other way around. She had thought she hated him last week, but not she was beginning to see that she didn’t really hate him. She had known that. She had wanted the excuse to hurt him, some way to get all her vent her emotions without talking to someone or hurting the people she loved. But now, she knew she didn’t hate him. What she hated was that she liked him looking at her in a somewhat friendly way. And what she really disliked was that she found herself staring at his lips occasionally, wondering what it would be like if they were pressed against hers again. 

“Would you stop that?” Aelin questioned.

“What are you talking about?” Rowan asked, seemingly clueless.

Aelin leaned her head against the window. “Keep your eyes on the road, no need for you to keep looking over at me. I. Am. Fine.” 

Rowan forced himself to look ahead. 

Out of the car, and in the elevator, Rowan was about to say goodbye to Aelin before he remembered something. “Aelin, do you think I would be able to get my hoodie back?”

Aelin hid her blush. She certainly didn’t want him finding out that she had worn on more than one occasion since he lent it to her. “Yeah, just come up to my floor.” 

The elevator pinged, and they made their way to the apartment Aelin lived in. Fleetfoot greeted them, wagging his tail and showing his affection. The dog turned  
on Rowan, surprisingly and went into a frenzy. It wasn’t that Fleetfoot didn’t eventually like everyone but with new people he usually wasn’t this enthusiastic. 

Maybe he remembered him from last week… or recognised his scent since it had been on Aelin for the past week, give or take.

After retrieving the jumper, Aelin walked back into the living room, where she’d left Rowan, only to see he’d settled himself on one of the sofas, animated in a conversation with Aedion. Aelin hadn’t even realised he’d been there. 

Aedion saw he at the same time she saw him. “Oh, hey.” He interrupted whatever him and Rowan had been talking about. “Was your walk home okay?” 

Giving Rowan a warning glare to keep his mouth shut, Aelin smiled pleasantly. “Rowan gave me a ride home, since he lives downstairs.” She emphasised the last part. 

Aedion grinned, somewhat confused. “Well yeah, he moved in like a year ago.” 

Aelin honestly wondered how she had never run into him in the building. “Right, well, here’s your jumper, Rowan.” She held it out, making Rowan stand and walk over to her to get it. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Rowan opened his mouth to say something, hopefully a farewell, when Aedion cut him off before he managed to speak. “Actually, Rowan and me need to sort things out for the team.” 

Aelin sighed. “Yeah, well, you might want to let him shower first.” She said, pointedly. 

Rowan sniffed the air around her. “Yeah, and you might want to shower before I’m back up here as well.” 

Aelin stuck her finger up at him. She had planned on having a shower anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

Rowan had, in fact, taken to driving him and Aelin home after detentions every day. They hadn’t been able to spar today as there was a sports practice in the gym. Instead, they had talked. Like as in, for practically the whole hour, had a civilised conversation. Yes, Rowan had been shocked too. 

“Hmm, you don’t happen to have any chocolates in here?” Aelin was shifting things in his rucksack to see if there was anything edible. 

“No, I don’t. You ate them all at the start of our detention.” Rowan responded, running the hand that wasn’t controlling the steering wheel through his hair. “But we can get some more now if you want.” 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Aelin beam. It was becoming normal, thrilling to be honest, to have that smile directed at him. And it made her prettier. Not that he hadn’t noticed she was pretty before, beautiful even. Shining golden hair, pert nose and captivating eyes. He and all the other boys he was friends with had all acknowledged it. Some more than others. He used to think it was too bad she was a bitch, but things were changing.

He pulled the car up beside a shop and watched as Aelin ran into it only to come out empty handed. She opened the car door but didn’t get in, “Hey, Rowan, do you have any money? I’ll pay you back. Pleeeeease.” 

Rowan sighed, at this he was slightly irritated. Just because they weren’t in the process of beating each other up anymore didn’t make them friends. Although, it looked as if it was going in that direction. Rowan wasn’t sure if he should run towards or away from that. 

He pulled a note out for her, and Aelin snatched it mid-air and hurried back into the shop. Minutes later, she was back, hands full. She gave Rowan the change and dumped the contents of her hands on the dashboard. She grabbed them back after seating herself and proceeded to rip into packets. She offered some to Rowan, who declined. If he wasn’t driving he might have been tempted. And he also realised he was becoming more tempted over an array of things recently.

__________________________

“Dammit! Oh, fuck this.” Aelin exclaimed. She had 10 minutes to get to school. Where was Aedion? She had called him several times, and it just continued to ring. Lysandra was the next victim of Aelin’s. Thankfully, she picked up on the second ring. 

“Oh, thank fuck.” Aelin breathed. 

“Aelin? What’s the matter?” 

“Aedion’s not here and school starts in-” She checked the time. “-7 minutes.” 

“Aedion had early practice this morning, because if you didn’t remember he joined the ice hockey team.” 

“Crap.” Aelin’s colourful vocabulary was not exhausted yet, apparently. “Do you think you or Nehemia could pick me up, please.” 

“Aelin, I’m already at school. And you can try Nehemia but you’re going to be late either way at this rate.” Lys sounded as if she didn’t care either way, but it wasn’t as if she was in as much trouble as Aelin had been recently. At this rate, Aelin was going to get herself expelled.

“Fine, thanks anyway.” Aelin ended the phone feeling defeated. 

There was basically no one who could get her out of this dilemma. Aelin resigned herself to having to walk. She started trudging down the road when a familiar car pulled up beside her. She had never been happier to see the dumb face inside that car. 

Rowan inclined his head to indicate for her to get in. When she did, he turned around. She realised he had been coming in opposite direction from school when he had pulled up. Aelin gave him a questioning look. “Aedion called and said you didn’t have a lift and you’d probably wait until the last possible minute to   
actually leave the house.”

“Um, thanks, but you didn’t have to come back for me.” 

“Don’t worry about it, the teachers might see as a good thing, that we’re getting along.” 

“We are?” Aelin couldn’t stop the words escaping her mouth. She knew they had been getting better with each other, but she hadn’t really had a confirmation. 

“Well, you are becoming less annoying.” Rowan considered.

“Or maybe you’re just falling in love with me.” That earned an eye roll and slight twitch of the lips. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t blame you. Plenty of people fall for my   
charms.” 

Rowan coughed a little too blatantly. “If you say so.” 

The two of them arrived just in time for the last bell to go off and made it to their class not too soon after. Out of their entire schedule the two of them only have one class together, which was History. It also happened that they had a double lesson of it just then. It was the class that Rowan and Aelin had initially started hating each other in. Mostly because Rowan was exceptionally good at it and it was just so that so was Aelin. She wasn’t as good as Rowan but still enough so that the teacher used Aelin as the model student for everything. Rowan had, unfortunately, seen that the teacher had taken a liking to Aelin, but he didn’t think it was because of her grades. 

Because there was no seating plan, only two seats were available now that they had arrived late, that being of which shared the desk. Rowan and Aelin sat beside each other. Most of the class gawped at them. They had walked into class together and sat by one another without causing a public fight. A feat from the events of the previous fortnight. 

“Okay.” The teacher started. “Since you’ve just gone that huge essay for me, we are going to be doing something fairly laid back for the rest of the term.” 

This caused a muttering to begin in the class. Aelin rolled her eyes. Couldn’t a class ever just shut up until the teacher had finished. 

“As I was saying,” The teachers voice had raised, causing the chatter to ease. “In the pairs you’ve decided to sit with, you are going to do a project on the history of something of your decision. It must be interesting and well thought out but won’t count towards your final grades. Well, it might, depending on your behaviour, so if you don’t put in the effort that’s your own fault. You have a month, including lesson time.” 

Great. Yes there were worse people to work with but it still didn’t mean Aelin wanted to work with Rowan. She had to spend most of her time with him anyway, and now she had to cooperate with him on a project. “So,” She said. “When do you want to meet my parents.” That earned her another of the frequent eye rolls.


End file.
